And Storms May Collide
Chapter 2: Smudge on the Horizon






"Come away from the window, Relena. You'll catch ill."






Ignoring her foster father for the moment, Relena let the wind wash through her honey gold hair and lightly caress her skin. It was spring outside, although it was winter in the castle, and the sun felt good on her face, erasing the burdens from her heart for a few moments. Beyond the rim of the window lay a world of green and blues that beckoned to her pleadingly, whispering of joy to be found within its embrace. When finally she did turn away from the tantalizing view, she saw only gray and black.







Folding her hands peacefully in front of the cream and gold layers of her gown, she played the dutiful daughter and came gracefully to her seat across from the Count Darlian. She sat in one smooth motion inherited from her dead mother and cast her silver blue gaze to the floor like a proper princess should. She had long ago learned the rules of her station, and what happened when she broke them.






Her foster father shifted in the following silence, lifting his gray head to study her. She let him, used to long silences, mentally wishing for freedom for this room and situation. Oh to be free again...







"The prince is coming in two days."






He said nothing but that statement, and yet the air grew chill and she shuddered slightly. The emotions she had been keeping hidden for the last few days rose up suddenly, threatening to send her into tears, but she squashed them down again quickly. She could not cry yet, not yet. He would not care if she did anyway.






"I await his coming, my lord," she answered, in the silken voice some likened unto a siren's. It was her voice that had first attracted the prince.






Her father's gray eyes found hers. "His army has invaded the northwest borders of Sanq, though he has agreed to halt in order to hear our plea. He holds your brother in trust against any action we might take against him, so the only way to get to him is through you, my dear. You remember the plan?"







She closed her eyes briefly, her fingers trembling in her lap. "I remember."







"And?" His voice had grown gruff.






Her heart wilted in her chest even as she spoke the words, "I will make him love me."





Her father suddenly smiled gently. "It will be all right, songbird. Once you have the prince, Millardo will be safe and so will the kingdom. You will have saved us all."






She could only bow her head as he stood and passed her by, his mind already on the accounts and figures that filled his mind daily. She was only a means to an end, a tool to be used when and where he said. Not that it really mattered, she would do anything to get her brother back. Even sell her heart to a murdering war prince who wanted nothing but more power. Once he had hers, would it be enough? Or would he destroy her kingdom anyway? He was known for his harsh tactics and men spoke that he had no weakness. Except, perhaps, for her. Her father had let the word travel of her rare beauty and exquisite voice. The prince loved beautiful things and so he desired another trinket for his collection. So perhaps, with her looks and music, she might buy her brother's freedom and save her people. A martyr for peace itself.






"My lady?"







Relena looked up slowly to meet the smoky blue gaze of her handmaiden, Hilde, who lingered hesitantly in the door. The princess gave her a small smile. "Yes?"






"The acting troupe is arriving, Relena. Should I direct them to their rooms?"





She had almost forgotten about them. Another amusement to seduce the prince.






"Yes, please, and tell them to prepare for the banquet tonight. Father wants to meet them."





"Of course, my lady." Hilde curtsied and smiled quickly, before vanishing soundlessly behind the frame of the door. Once again, Relena's focus shifted to the window, and the glorious world that lay outside.






In two days time, the sun would cease to rise for her.






* * * *





We knew nothing of all this, of course. It would be only later that we discovered the hidden plots that resided in the Sanq palace.






We had traveled for two days to reach the capital, New Port City, that glistened near the ocean like a pearl and the caravan was growing tired as the palace's domes and spires reached our awed eyes. Its beauty was breathtaking and I could feel inspiration grow within me. Surely anyone who lived in such a place must be touched by its radiance.







Little did I know that I had it backwards. It was Relena that allowed everything to shine...






* * * *






Duo whistled softly, his violet eyes gleaming as he took in the wealth of the waiting room they were in. It was one of the more simple rooms but it was bedecked with trinkets of the rich. Polished wood tables and gilded chairs, cushions scattered here and there. The air smelled of the sea and flowers, and the atmosphere was one of calm serenity. It was beautiful.







"This place is something else." The actor commented, running a finger over a silvered mirror. "I wouldn't mind being a count if it meant all this."






"It's like a dream," Catherine whispered, twirling in the middle of the room. "I wonder what the theater looks like? It must be grand."







Quatre sat back in one of the plush chairs, his mind full of music. "And Darlian's daughter? I wonder what she's like?"








Wufei shifted as if to comment when a lady entered the room, dressed in a gown of blue, gray, and silver. She smiled slightly upon seeing them and brushed errant locks of dark hair from her eyes as she greeted them.






"Welcome to the Sanq Palace. I am Hilde, handmaiden to Princess Relena. My mistress wishes for you to be comfortable while your are here, and so, if I may, I would like to show you to your rooms."







Duo's mouth had dropped open during the girl's speech and he had a sort of listless look about him as everyone gathered what things they had brought and prepared to follow the little handmaiden. Even Heero moved at her words, straightening out of his casual lean against the wall and hefting his pack. Finally, upon seeing that Duo had become moonstruck, Trowa jabbed him in the side to bring him back to his senses.







"When will we be seeing the Count?" Wufei asked, as they climbed stairs to the upper level. "I would like to speak to him about our arrangement." Hilde nodded, understandingly.







"He will be present at dinner this evening, along with Miss Relena. I'm sure you can work out everything then." She stopped suddenly and motioned to the rooms on either side of her. "This hallway is yours alone, as we didn't know exactly how many to expect. If you need anything please feel free to ask. Rosedawn Theater is north of here, anyone can give you directions if you would like to have a look before the first rehearsal." She curtsied again. "Enjoy your stay."






As she walked past him, Duo caught her hand and kissed the back of it lightly. "Thanks for your help, gracious lady."







Trowa coughed.







"Your welcome." Hilde replied, blushing. She stepped past him and hurried down the hall, with Duo watching her go, a grin on his face.







"Watch it, Maxwell." Wufei snapped.






"I am watching it."






Quatre choked and Heero favored the braided one with his death glare. "Enough, Duo. We're here on business."





Duo turned back to the others, pouting. "Slavedrivers."






* * * *






As it turned out, dinner was a very quiet affair, considering that neither Heero nor Relena appeared. Even the pretty Hilde was absent, breaking poor Duo's heart. Wufei and the Count made the appropriate gestures, launching into a discussion of wages and budgets, while the rest of us could only wonder where the lead actor had disappeared to.







* * * *






Rosedawn Theatre.






It had always been her favorite place, even as a child. The polished floorboards, the heavy velvet curtains, the smell of wood and imaginative energy. She had always been at home there, much more so than the bleak Sanq Palace, with its imprisoning walls. Here she could be free, even if only for a short time.






She could forget here...






"Please be careful, Relena. It is dangerous for us to be here after dark." Hilde whispered softly, closing the theater doors securely. Relena smiled brightly at her friend and handmaiden.







"Don't worry, Hilde. I don't plan to stay long," she answered, moving fluidly down the middle aisle, making her way towards the stage. Hilde followed her for a moment before taking up watch in the back row, something she had done for as long as she could remember.







The theater was dark except for the soft stage lights that had been turned on for the rehearsal the next day. It would be the last night that the theater would be empty and Relena wanted to make the best of it. She climbed slowly up the side steps, lifting the hem of her white-gold gown, her eyes on center stage. Once there she reached up and let the pins out of her hair, honey gold locks cascading around her face, the pins hitting the floor like jewels.






Here she could be free...






Curtsying to Hilde, who smiled, she stepped forward, and began to sing.






Crystal notes filled the theater like dewdrops on soft pink petals, drifting from the petite frame of a princess who was still very innocent of the world. She sang with no restraint, letting her voice echo back to her, whispers of the emotions she kept in all day. She whirled on the stage, her dress flaring as she danced to the cadence of her own heart.






In her seat, Hilde watched with tearful eyes, one hand over her mouth in a gesture of timeless sympathy.







Relena sang for some time, losing herself in the music as she always did, continuing to dance alone in some mystical ballet. It was only when Hilde gave a half-cry of alarm that she came back in time to find herself looking into a pair of very, very dark blue eyes framed by hair the color of rich earth. His gaze froze her where she stood, her skirts twisting around her ankles. Time stopped as they exchanged glances, Relena's last note lingering in the air between them.







Then he offered his hand...






...and she took it without hesitation.







He led her in a dance across the stage floor, movement so graceful Hilde didn't know whether to be worried or entranced. They flowed together like one being and then re-emerged, one dark, one light. Relena's voice curled around them as if she were casting a spell, and soon hers was joined with a deep tenor that sent tingles up her spine and cast shadows in the light. They sang and danced to a song that had never before existed, and now only existed in that moment, for that night. When finally their voices drew to a close, Relena let herself be drawn nearer to the mysterious singer, silver blue eyes meeting cobalt. She was slowly turned into his arms as the music quieted, and their movement stopped, leaving only their gazes entwined as they stood, breathing heavily.







In the loose circle of his strong arms, Relena could barely pull her thoughts together, his gaze was so hypnotizing. Who was this man? And why had she felt so safe dancing with him? She had no time to answer her questions for he suddenly released her, letting his hands fall to his sides.







"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice flat and cold, a far cry from the depth she had heard in his singing. There was no emotion in his gaze. "It's not safe for a lady after dark."







"My lady." It was Hilde.






She glanced at her friend before turning back towards the stranger, only to find him gone, vanished back into the shadows from whence he came. For a moment she was disoriented. Had he even really been there? Perhaps she had only been dancing with a dream, a vision...






"My lady, please. Your father will be asking of you."






"Yes, I'm coming," Relena replied, absently, her eyes still on the stage as she went to join her friend. Hilde hurriedly threw a cloak around her, saying nothing about what had happened, which only confused Relena further.







What a very odd night...






* * * *







Heero watched as the sun-haired woman disappeared with her lady-in-waiting outside the theater doors, gone into the night. He had been there when she came in, getting used to the new stage. Not knowing why, but feeling like he was going to witness something secret, he had stepped back into the darkness, watching as the beautiful singer had let down her hair and proceed to sing with the voice of an angel. He did not know why a lady of her obvious station would come to a theater to sing, but he did not question it. Instead he went to center stage and picked up one of the pearl tipped pins that had fallen from her hair and slipped it into his pocket, a strange feeling in his chest.






It had been instinct that had led him to dance with her, some force that had made him join his voice with hers. She had been so light in his arms, so graceful, and her song...
It had erased the barriers around his heart with the first note. Never had he felt that way before.






Shrugging, he doused the theater lights and headed back to the palace, trying to forget the woman who had, for a moment, made him feel alive.






* * * *





"Did you see him, Hilde? He sang with all the strength of the sea." Relena said excitedly, as Hilde fluttered around her, trying to make it look as if she hadn't been out on the streets.






"I saw him," Hilde said, wryly, straightening her friend's gown. "I cannot believe you danced with him like that. You don't even know him!"







"Is that so important?" She smiled, suddenly, "The whole night was wonderful! I've never felt so free!"







"Well, you'd better stay away from rehearsals or he'll never get anything done."







Relena frowned, "Rehearsals? What are you talking about?"






Hilde glanced up. "Why, don't you know? He's an-" She suddenly cut off as her smoky blue eyes focused on something behind Relena, her face draining of color. Stiffening, the princess followed her friend's gaze to find her father standing in the door, his face angry and set.







"You are dismissed, Hilde," he said, his voice so quiet it made Relena tremble in spite of herself. Her maid curtsied.






"Yes, my lord."







Hilde bowed her head and left quietly, knowing there was nothing she could do. Relena stood stiffly as her foster father came to stand before her, rage clear in his eyes. There were a few deathly silent seconds before he clenched his fist around her long hair, causing tears to spring to her eyes.







"Look at you." He growled, "Your hair down, your cheeks flushed. You missed dinner. Where have you been, Relena? Out on the streets? With a man?" With each word he took a step forward, causing her to back up, her head jerking as he released her hair.







"Father, I wasn't-" His slap sent her to the floor, a puddle of white and gold.






"I don't want to hear any lies from you." He grated, looming over her as she looked up at him tearfully. "The prince is coming, Relena, and I will not have you parading yourself all over town like a whore. Do you want to get your brother killed?"







Tears welled in blue eyes. "No, father."






"Then fix yourself up. It's time you took your place in the world."






The door slammed shut.







A very lonely little girl curled up on the floor and cried herself to sleep.



tbc...







* * * *

*sniff* stupid count... *sniffle* anyway, was it good? Bad? Ugly? Something inbetween? Any tears yet? I hope the dancing scene was moving, I had it all planned out in my head but I don't know if I could get the emotion across. Hmmmm, hope it turned out all right. Still working on KT, the next chapter will be out soon, I'm just too engrossed in this one to stop the flow just yet! *wink* cya!

PS. These chapters will come out really fast, keep a watch!
Thanks for reading!

Please review and I'll love ya forever! Tee hee